Darkness Around Us
by EvilRegal98
Summary: The operation had failed and CIA agent Emma Swan ends up getting imprisoned by North Korean soldiers. It turns out she isn't the only one being held captive and she quickly bonds with another prisoner, an exotic beauty named Regina. AU Swan Queen, dark.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: **Yes, I did it again, starting another story while I already have three others running but you know, this just sort off came to me while watching Salt (Angelina Jolie is absolutely amazing). But seeing that I'm almost done with school, and just have one week to go, I'll have more time to write.

Alright, so I'll stop talking now.

Hope you enjoy ;)

**Trigger warning: Violence, blood and finally, character death (nothing major)!**

...

She was disoriented to say the least, her head slumping against her shoulders, her body slick from the sweat as sand blew up and plastered itself on her skin, like a light blanket of filth. The bare heels of her feet scraped against the sharp little stones that were scattered around the cement floor. Probably laid there on purpose, to add some extra pain. Her body was aching, and it felt like she was in some kind of shock. The messy braid she had put her golden locks in this morning was now completely loose and strands of matted hair stuck to the skin of her forehead and neck.

The slight draft of cool air that flew in from the cracks in the with wooden planks covered window had her shivering slighty. After all, the black jeans and white tank top she had been wearing were now gone, leaving the blonde dressed in only her white boxer shorts and a sweaty, slightly bloodied sports bra.

Apparently she was too heavy to carry for long because her left side suddely connected harshly with the floor, those damn little stones cutting in the skin of her shoulder, nearly drawing blood. The two men who had been dragging her stopped walking, instead dropping her down completely and started shouting at each other in a language Emma couldn't and probably wouldn't want to understand.

Maybe it's better not to know in a situation like this. Even though her training had taught her the exact opposite of such thoughts.

But this was actually happening, and that was something completely different than listening to some old, almost retiring agent talking about it in a dusty room that reminded her of the classrooms in her old high school.

If Emma had the strength for it, she would hit herself on the head right now. How could they have been so stupid? They should've turned around and ran the moment she saw the suspicious glances yesterday, they should've blown the whole operation off and be on a plane back to Los Angeles right now. Safe, and not either dead or imprisoned.

And so now she was being dragged to a cage in her underwear, fighting to stay consious and catch glimpses of her surroundings, maybe even ways to escape. Even though she knew there would be none.

Because really. She was on her own, surrounded by heavily armed and trained soldiers. And Graham, the one who had come with her on this operation, he was... god, he was-

She couldn't even think the words let alone say them. Because even thinking about what she was going to think brought back the nausea and utter sadness she had been feeling.

She had watched Graham being shot through the head. It was like it had happened in slow motion. As if she had actually seen the bullet pierce the soft skin of his forehead and then the hard bone of his skul. The rain of blood and brains caused her to gag yet again and that finally caught the attention of the two guards above her as they stopped talking and instead stared down at her.

Emma squinted against the blinding tl-light that was attached to the ceiling as she tried to catch some of their features. But it was no use.

She felt calloused hands grab both of her aching wrists and her upperbody was harshly lifted off the floor again, though the sharp stones were still imprinted in her skin. Emma even thought she heard some fall as they freed themselves from her bruised skin.

"Almost there." One of the guards said with a heavy accent as he gave another hard pull at her shoulder and Emma swore she heard the bone crack as the ball was pulled from it's socket.

...

_"You spy, I know you are!" The North Korean soldier yelled as he raised the large gun in his hands, fingers shaking as he inched closer to the trigger._

_Emma looked around, they were on one of the large ships that was currently being used to transport large amounts of heroin and methamphetamine. But more importantly, there was no way to escape. And they were onto them, their operation has been pierced through._

_"We're not, I promise you that!" Graham yelled as he raised his hands slightly, looking at the man dressed in a suit that was standing a couple of feet away. "We're really not." _

_Emma took a small step forwards until she stood next to her friend. "He's right, we just wanna help you out, offer you some more business opportunities, you know?" It was worth a shot because really, Emma did not want to die on the filthy floor of a ship only to then be dumped in the sea. Her parents at least deserved to have her body back. _

_"You want to help me out with business opportunity?" The man said as he signaled one hand towards the shaking soldier to lower his gun. "How?" _

_Graham slowly lowered his hands, careful not to tick off the soldier in front of him as his eyes remained locked with the man. "We have connections, connections back in the United States, in Canada, you name it. We can expand this... _company _of yours on a more global level instead of only going up and down between here and Australia." _

_"Global?" The accent in the man's voice was heavy. "I like the sound of that." _

_"I thought you might." Graham smiled and placed his hands on his hips, slowly inching his right hand towards the back if his cargo pants. _

_Emma held her breath as she noticed the small movements of Graham's hand. This could so easily go fucking wrong and they would be fish food, then the CIA would have to come and collect their bodies, if they would even be able to find them. _

_God dammit they were in way over their heads. And it would probably be fatal for the both of them. _

_"And how would you suggest we go about this... _opportunity_?" The man asked again, folding his hands in front of his chest and looking at them with suspicious eyes and pursed lips as he tapped his shoe against the metal floor, the sound echoing throughout the eerie silence._

_"Let me have my phone back." Graham started, removing his left hand from his hip and holding it out, while his right remaind inching to his back pocket. The back pocket where both he and Emma knew was a small gun hidden away. "I can make a phone call right now, call my buddies back in the States and we can arrange it all, the price, payments, route, everything." _

_The moment the word 'phone' left Graham's mouth, something seemed to click and the man's eyes narrowed to black slits as he squeezed the mobile device in his left hand. "Phone?" He held it up. "You mean this phone?" _

_"Yes." Graham breathed and held out his hand even further. "Just let me make a call, you'll have your deal, win win for everyone, right?" _

_"Win, win?" _

_Emma caught it from the corner of her eyes, a small hand signal, just a little twitch of the man's right pinky and it was enough. _

_A gunshot went off. _

_It was loud and deafening, but the scream that followed was way, way worse. And Emma was sure it would be branded in her brain forever. _

_Graham slumped to the floor, his right hand falling away from his back pocket as he clutched his left knee with both his hands, blood oozing through his fingers. _

_"You think I'm stupid?!" The man yelled, spit flying everywhere as the vein in his neck bulged. He let the phone drop from his hand, the device falling on the metal floor with a thump and then crushed it with the heel of his expensive shoe, a brand Emma probably wouldn't be able to even so much as pronounce. He turned to the soldier who had just pierced Graham's kneecap and screamed. "He die, take her, maybe we can use her!" _

_Emma could only stare in horror as the soldier nodded, shakily placed the barrel of the gun against Graham's forehead and pulled the trigger. _

_The blood and brain matter pooled on the metal floor and Emma didn't even know she was screaming. The body that used to be Graham slumped to the ground, his eyes staring up at the ceiling, cold and lifeless and so, so _different_. _

_The heavy, solid object that suddenly connected with the back of Emma's head actually didn't hurt as much as her heart. _

...

The guards didn't say anything as they dropped Emma's body down on the hard floor and left her there, locking the cage behind them when they left.

There was a loud silence and the only sound Emma heard was her own laboured breathing as she pushed her slightly off the floor, only to drop back with a pained whimper when the pain shot up from her toes, to her brain and down to her toes again.

"Are you alright?"

The voice coming somewhere from her right scared the living shit out off Emma and the blonde flinched as she willed her body to turn around so she could look at the darkness next to her. The darkness the voice had come from.

"Wha-" Emma coughed as sand made it's way in her airway. "Who's there?" Her voice was soft and groggy and it sounded foreign to Emma herself.

"Are you alright?" The feminine voice repeated and it sounded beautifully low and warm in Emma's ears.

"Yeah," another cough. "I think I'm fine? You?" That couldn't have sounded more lame in Emma's ears seeing that they were both locked up in some cabin in the middle of nowhere.

"Yes." The voice said again and Emma heard bare skin scraping against hard cement, signaling the mysterious woman was moving. "I'm fine."

"Good." Emma said breathlessly and found it within herself to push her body up and resting her back against the metal bars. "What's your name?"

A soft sigh was heard and the voice answered again. "What's yours?"

Emma let out a wheezy chuckle as the response. "I'm Emma."

"Regina."

And somehow in Emma's mind, it fit. That voice and that name. It was just... right.

"For how long have you been in here, Regina?"

"I don't recall." Regina said softly and moved closer to the bars again. "Maybe six months, maybe a year. Time has been lost on me for quite a while now."

_A year? _Emma thought in surprise. This woman, _Regina_, has been locked up here for a year?

Emma wanted to ask why, but something in her told her not to. Not now, at least.

"Can you come closer?"

And this time there was no answer, only a soft sigh as the sound of skin scraping against cement filled the air again. The first sign Emma caught of the woman was a tanned and slender hand that wrapped itself around the rusty bar. And then the woman's hauntingly beautiful face came into view. Her cheeks were slightly sunken, her deep brown eyes were somewhat dull and her dark hair was hanging loose around her face.

But she was absolutely beautiful to Emma.

"Emma." The blonde said again and stuck out a shaking hand. One the brunette took with an unsure smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Regina."

...

Seeing that I still have a debate to do for school and I already have three stories running, I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but I'll do it as soon as I can, promise! And if you want, please leave review, I love the feedback. ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: **Thank you for the kind response to this story. I hope you all like this chapter. Now remember that I said it was going to get pretty dark? Yeah, keep that in mind.

**Trigger warning: Abuse!**

...

The hand Emma had been holding just a couple of seconds ago was quickly retracted through the rusty bars again. And the blonde wasn't sure why exactly, but she immediately missed the feeling of the slender hand in her own. Even though the hand had been bony and even filthy with the sand that was covering the floor, the hand had still been... warm. And Emma could really use some warmth right about now.

Her thin and sweaty body shivered as an especially cold breeze made it's way through the cracks between the wooden planks that were used to keep strangers from peeking in. Not that anyone would help them, even if they saw two women locked up in cages. Crossing the soldiers here was not something you could do without losing at least your tongue. And probably your life after that.

Behind the wooden door that separated them from the soldiers, Emma could hear the soft murmur of talking. Not that the blonde could understand what they were saying, but it was at least something to know that they were not left alone to starve to death in these cages.

She brought her hands up to softly rub her freezing cold arms, feeling the slight scratch from where her broken nails moved over the fair skin. Sand collected itself under those nails and Emma sighed in disgust as she began to remove it from under them. She felt disgusting and in dire need for hot shower.

"What have you done?" The soft sultry voice came from the other side of the bars again. The slender, tanned hand curled around the orange turning metal again and the sound of skin scraping against the concrete filled the air again.

"Huh?"

"I mean, what have you done, why are you here?" Regina repeated and brought her cheek against the metal bar. Those chocolate brown eyes were captivating and for a moment it seemed that Emma would never be able to look away again.

"Oh, that." Emma snapped out of her daze and smiled softly at her foggy mind.

A deep chuckle left full lips as Regina cocked her head slightly to the left. "Yes, 'that'."

"I was-" Yes, what was she? She couldn't tell the woman the details even though Emma was somewhat sure they would never leave this place alive. "Me and my friend were... writing an article about North Korea. It seemed that they don't like journalists here." It was the best lie she could come up with in less than thirty seconds.

"And why is your friend not here?" The brunette asked carefully even though, deep down, she already knew the answer. The same happened to her a little over a year ago.

At least Emma could be honest about this. Sadness filled her heart as she wiped the sweat from her eyebrows. "They killed him." She said grimly, not looking up to meet the brunette's eyes.

There was a moment of thick and heavy silence between the two women, but it was quickly interrupted when the wooden door was thrown open with a harsh bang. The sudden sound startled them and their heads snapped towards the doorway where a man was leaning against the rotting door frame, a vicious grin on his face. The man was old, easily in his fifties. He wore dark green cargo pants and a white sleeveless shirt that was supporting several grease stains, among other things.

What surprised Emma was that the man spoke perfect English.

"Regina, sweetheart." The words were singsonged and they caused Emma's skin to crawl and her stomach to flip.

The woman locked up in the cage next to her was doing no better. The tanned hand that had been curled around the bar immediately ripped away. The beautiful face, disappeared as quick as it had appeared, back into the darkness that was surrounding them.

But even though Emma couldn't see the brunette, she was sure Regina was terrified. Heavy breathing with the occasional hitch could be heard and Emma bared her teeth in a growl.

"It's time to resume our last lesson." The man slowly moved towards the brunette's cage, keys clinking against each other in mocking movements as the gray haired man moved closer and closer.

Neither women said anything as the cage was opened and Regina was pulled out. And even though Emma was terrified about what was going to happen to the woman, she couldn't help but look.

The brunette was exactly as Emma had imagined. Slim, tanned, not too muscular. She was only wearing underwear, just like Emma. But whereas Emma was clad in boy shorts and a sports bra, Regina was wearing dark red lingerie, made from satin and lace and even though it had been a year, it still looked very expensive. Probably even more expensive than Emma's crappy apartment back in LA. She really missed that apartment.

But the awe that Emma had felt in seeing the beautiful woman had quickly disappeared and transformed into anger. Regina was shaking from fear, her hands curling around her upper body, trying but failing to cover up as much of herself as possible to stop the man's lustful gaze.

"God, I'm so happy it was you we grabbed that day." The old man smirked and moved one hand to the brunette's behind who flinched away.

"Get your filthy hands off of her." Emma growled threateningly before she could help herself. The fear that was on Regina's face had been too much for Emma to handle.

The only reaction she got was a loud laugh as the man only grabbed Regina arm harder. "Well, well. Aren't you quite a _savior_, Agent Swan?"

Regina's brown eyes snapped up at her in confusion, but Emma had no time to explain. "I said, get your hands off of her." Her whisper was deadly.

Another laugh, and this time a small whimper from the brunette as he buried his nails in her arm. "It's such a shame you won't be able to join our party. We've got to keep you clean for bargaining and all that." The man sighed and then shrugged. "Ah, well. More fun for Regina."

Emma could only look in defeat as Regina was pulled through the door. Her hands stayed down when the awful, awful screaming began. The least she could do was be a silent support. She would not led Regina be the only one in pain. And so she listened to every horrible sound that left the full lips that had been turned into a small smile not even fifteen minutes ago.

…

It was late in the evening, probably almost midnight judging by the darkness seeping through the cracks in the wood, when Regina returned. Gone were the warm eyes and the hint of a smile Emma had seen when they'd first met just a couple of hours prior.

Instead there was now a woman that looked broken, shattered beyond repair. God, Emma hoped that that wasn't true.

"Such a shame." The man spat and pushed the brunette back into her cage. Emma had never caught his name. "Pretty face, but no stamina." The keys clinked in his hand as he locked the cage, the glimmering metal was mocking to Emma.

"I bet you have stamina, though." His wrinkly mouth curled up in a grin and Emma swore she saw a piece of nacho in his gray beard.

He turned around without a second look and hobbled towards the door, closing it with an unnecessary hard slam.

Emma breathed out, clenched her hands in fists to keep herself from hitting the bars in an act of rage because it wouldn't help at all to injure herself.

"Are you alright?"

It was a stupid question, because of course the brunette wasn't alright. But it was the only thing Emma could manage right now.

The only thing that left Regina's mouth were shaking sobs as one hand made it's way through the bars again in a silent request of support. And so Emma grabbed it, rubbing her thumb up and down the skinny limb, hoping it would be enough to comfort the brunette.

She made herself the promise that she would never leave this place without Regina.

…

"_Regina, darling." Cora greeted when she saw her daughter enter her office. "How would you feel about going with me on a little business trip?" Cora had always been direct, it was _the _way to get things done fast, and to be honest, Cora Mills liked fast. No nonsense, no going around the subject. You say what you want, or you don't say anything at all. _

"_What kind of business trip, mother?" Regina asked softly as she dropped her purse on one of the chairs and sat down on the other, facing her mother's desk._

"_Well, I need to visit an oil company we've been hunting for for a very long time. They're finally willing to make a deal, and you know how much I love deals, dear."_

"_So I'm there for... what exactly? Arm candy to give them that little extra push in the right direction? That being _your _direction?" The younger brunette asked with a raised eyebrow as she crossed her legs and smoothed imaginary crinkles out off her black pencil skirt. _

"_No, dear." Cora chuckled and sat back in her chair. "I just thought it would be nice to finally do something together again. It's been a while."_

_The suspicion was still intact in Regina's eyes, but the brunette complied. "And where is this so called business transaction?"_

"_North Korea."_

_A sigh resounded. "You truly believe that that's a nice destination for a little mother-daughter bonding trip?" Regina asked with a small smile and reached for her purse, pulling out her cellphone. _

"_Well, I'm sorry, dear. Which country would you have preferred? Hawaii maybe?"_

"_It's better than North Korea."_

"_Please, just stop being so stubborn and come with me, dear." Cora said with a sigh as she crossed her arms over her chest. _

"_Fine, you win mother."_

…

Leave a review, please.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors note: **Hi, I'm back, sorry for the long wait. Anyway, someone asked if we'll get more of Regina's backstory and the answer is; yes, we will get more information about that, don't worry. I don't know when I'm able to update again seeing that I'm on vacation to Germany without wifi from July 26 till August 3 and I still gave a ton of things to do, but on the bright side, I can write ahead. Hope you like the chapter ;)

**Trigger warning: Torture, allusion to rape! **

...

It was

_supposed _

to hurt like hell. Emma knew for sure she should be crippling in pain right now, ripping her skin raw from pulling at the seemingly unbreakable tape around her wrists. The fact that she wasn't, was telling her that something was very,

_very _

wrong.

The soldiers spoke to each other in what Emma's foggy mind thought sounded like confusion when she didn't scream out like she'd been doing this past hour, but just lolled her head from side to side against the back of the old, barely standing chair she was taped to.

The knife was blunt and it wasn't easy to get through her skin. Emma could see the tiny droplets of sweat on the forehead of the man who was holding the knife.

Maybe she didn't feel anything because the broken bone of her wrist was blocking a nerve or something. It was the only logical explanation the blonde could come up with as to why it didn't hurt as they cut the skin of her finger until the bone was hit with a sickening scrape that had Emma almost gagging.

She swallowed harshly and lolled her head to the right, staring at the door which she knew Regina was behind, with delirious eyes. The heat and pain were getting to her and Emma knew it wouldn't be too long before she would pass out.

Pass out and drift away from this horrible reality to a place where there was only soothing, blissful darkness.

Her eyes were already rolling back in her head when a harsh kick to her bruised shin brought her back to the present. The soldier leant over closer so his nose was almost touching hers as he yelled something in Korean, spit coating her lips and chin and Emma wanted to puke her guts our right then and there.

...

Emma's screams, god they went through flesh and bone and Regina was thinking that maybe her screams sounded like that too. God, she hoped they didn't. She hoped she didn't sound so... so _hopeless_.

All the brunette could do was guess what they were doing to her in there. And with all the clear thoughts she could muster, it wasn't really that hard. Her hands shot up to her ears when the screaming started again, her short nails digging in the skin of her head. Those cold, lifeless and painful screams that would never leave her again, would for ever be a part of her sleepless nights for the rest of her life.

The screaming suddenly stopped and instead eerie silence filled the room. That silence that automatically gave you a bad feeling. And Regina was praying to the god she knew did not exist that Emma was alive. Just _alive_.

The door creaked open and the first thing Regina saw were messy, dirty blonde curls that framed a pale, expressionless face. A sigh of relief shouldn't follow when you saw someone in the state Emma was in, but yet, the breath of air escaped from behind Regina's full lips.

The blonde was holding her left wrist in an awkward way and Regina could see the bone was twisted all the wrong way. Nausea filled her body, but she wouldn't let it show. All she wanted to do was make sure Emma was alright.

Emma was practically thrown back in her cell, the soldiers didn't even pay attention to the pained whimper that left the woman.

The moment the wooden door closed behind the two men, Regina's hands were wrapped around the wall of bars that seperated herself from the blonde.

"Emma?" She asked frantically, but the only answer was a huff of pain as Emma tried to push herself up against the filthy wall behind her.

"Emma, are you alright? Please tell me?" One hand unwrapped itself from the rusty bar and instead went through them, reaching towards the woman who was clearly in pain. Bony fingers making a grabbing motion.

"Please, Emma, let me take a look at you. You're hurt."

"And if they find out you helped me, _you _get hurt. _Again_." Emma wheezed with that same lopsided smile on her face that she had shot Regina two hours ago. Like she hadn't just been tortured for answers she would never give.

"I can take care of myself." Regina snapped, her old self making a reappearance and Regina was relieved. She had been losing herself more and more over the past year and was glad some fight was still there. She was still a little Regina Mills and not just 'slave' or 'pretty face'.

"Let me at least take a look at your wrist, it looks dislocated." Regina almost begged and it felt strange, but not as horrible as when she begged _him_. Begged Leo.

Emma sighed, looked into sincerely worried brown eyes and finally relented."Alright."

With a great deal of difficulty and pain, she eventually managed to get close enough to the bars so Regina could see her broken loin.

Purple bruises were already starting to form on the flesh and Regina tried not to get sick to her stomach when she saw the obvious tear in the bone. "It's definitely broken, dear. I think I need to set the bone so it can heal properly."

"Wait? You?!" Emma voice shook as she looked from her wrist, to the brunette. "You can do that?"

"Yes." Regina nodded slowly. "My boyfriend Daniel was a doctor, he taught me a thing or two."

"Oh." The moment Emma heard how dissapointed she sounded she tried to smile a little brighter. "Oh, you have a boyfriend."

"Had." Regina's eyes turned sad as she slowly touched the wrist. "He was killed a few years ago." She reached behind her and grabbed the thin blanket she had gotten so as to stay warm and tore a stroke of the fabric off in one smooth motion. At Emma's surprised look she explained. "It's to wrap your wrist in once it is set."

Letting out a deep breath to try and calm her nerves Emma nodded. "Alright let's do this."

"Here." Regina grabbed the rest of the blanket and stuffed it through the bars. "Put it in your mouth and bite on it, that way they won't hear you."

"And you're sure you can do this?"

With false confidence Regina nodded solemnly and turned to the arm. "Yes."

Emma passed out the moment the bone started to move.

...

_"You're a fighter, Leo loves fighters. Though his last one was a little too much so she had to be put down." The man with the dark sunglasses chuckled as they stopped next to an abandoned house. _

_The back of the truck was opened with a loud creaking noise and Regina was roughly pulled out. Her hands were bound behind her back too tightly and the rope was cutting in her wrists. She wanted to spit on the man, but the cloth that had been shoved down her throat prevented her from doing it. _

_Two men dressed in cargo pants and white shirts pulled her up by her arms and escorted her into the building that looked like it was about to collapse. Regina wished that that would happen. She'd rather die than having to be some filthy pig's personal slave. The four inch heels weren't doing her any favor and she stumbled slightly. She was just able to catch her balance before she was kicked in the back of her knees, falling to the floor with a pained whimper. _

_An old man, twice her age, came through the door on the right, looking at her like she was less than a human. _

_"This is the one you picked for me?" He asked in a low voice, looking the brunette up and down as he crossed his hairy arms over his chest. "She looks a little fancy, doesn't she?" His eyes scanned the black pencil skirt and the blazer Regina was wearing._

_"We can help you with that." The same man who drove her here smiled and grabbed a knife from his back pocket. _

_Regina couldn't stop the scared whimper as she looked at the knife and tried to crawl away but was stopped by a harsh hand in her hair, pulling her back. _

_"Don't worry, I won't cut you." He whispered in her ear and roughly grabbed the back of her blazer to pull it off, almost dislocating her shoulder in the process. The expensive piece of clothing was carelessly thrown to the side as he grabbed the back of her blouse and cut it to shreds until it just fell from her shoulders. It wasn't even long before her skirt was cut off too and Regina felt vulnerable in just her underwear. _

_"Well thank you for that, Angelo." The old man grinned, the crotch of his cargo pants becoming tighter and Regina wanted to gag. "Then I guess I said nothing, why don't you throw her in her cage, and keep rope on her wrists, I sure love a little bondage." _

_The man Regina had come to know as Angelo nodded and slightly bowed his head. "Of course, boss." _

_The old man dropped down to one knee in front of Regina and grabbed her chin so she had no other option but to look at him. "Now, I hope your new home lives up to your expectations, because you're going to be here for quite a while." His eyes found the expensive clothing in the corner and he grinned. "Your Majesty." _

...

Leave a review and until next time! ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors note: **So, so sorry for the truly massive delay, I've just been busy with school and life and also a massive writer's block for this story. But anyway, I'm back and I'll try to update again as soon as I can. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

A little side note: I am in no way an expert on how such police matters go, I did some research but probably still made some mistakes, so apologies for that.

...

**~ One year ago, New York Police Department. ~ **

"Please, I need someone." Henry Mills practically begged as he moved to the first desk that came into his eyesight. "Bring me to your captain, please." He wasn't even sure he was in the right precinct, but it truly didn't matter to him. He just needed someone that could help him, help him find his family.

"Sir, what's wrong?" A kind looking police officer asked from behind the desk. She had red hair and freckles that almost covered all the pale skin of her face and chest. Kind blue eyes were narrowed with concern as she looked the old man up and down.

He looked wealthy, his gray hair neatly styled, matching the clearly expensive suit he was wearing.

"My wife and daughter." Henry almost yelled in desperation, clenching his hands in fists. "I haven't heard from them for almost a week, they went to North Korea for a business appointment and they were supposed to call me five days ago, but they never did."

"Please calm down, sir." The officer comforted and got up from her chair. Bringing a hand to the older man's elbow she slowly sat him down on the chair facing her desk. It wouldn't do to have him go into a panic attack.

"But, my daughter, my wife..." Henry stammered, twisting his hands in his lap, nervously playing with the golden wedding band that sat on his left hand. "You have to find them, please. You _have _to bring my family home. You have to find my little girl."

"Calm down, Sir." The redhead said softly, pulling a notepad from the corner of her desk. "Now, first let's start with some basic information like names and ages, alright?" She clicked the pen held it closer to the white paper.

"Yes- okay, that's...yes." Henry's breathing started to calm down somewhat as he answered. "My wife's name is Cora Mills and she's fifty-two." His dark eyes watched nervously how the woman nodded softly and wrote it down. " And my daughter's name is Regina Mills. She is twenty-six." His words were quick and jumbled as he looked up with tears in his dark eyes.

"Do you have any pictures with you, sir?" She asked and put the pen down again.

"Yes- yes I have." He reached for the pocket of his coat and pulled out his wallet. Giving the police officer the most recent picture he had, he begged again, "please just find them, bring them back to me."

...

**~ Present. ~ **

"So, why did you lie to me, Emma?" Regina Voice was groggy, scraping against the tender flesh of her aching throat. She had been screaming, begging even, though she hated to admit it because it was not something Regina Mills would've ever done, for the better part of the day. Forced to play the part of slave again, the part she had been playing ever since she had been dragged into this house, this hell.

Emma slowly turned her head to the voice that was speaking next to her, her mind was woozy, her left wrist was pounding in dull pain, purple bruises already formed on the swollen loin. "Hmmm?" The words had never reached her fuzzy brain and so she asked Regina to repeat the question using only a low hum.

"Why did you lie?"

"Lie about what?" Her tongue felt thick in her mouth as Emma blinked slowly, she couldn't see Regina, but Emma knew she was upset by the tone of her voice. And for a moment she thought it was because the brunette had been lied to, but then she remembered Regina was being held captive as a sexslave and yeah, that explained it.

"You said you were a reporter." The voice got softer and softer, sounding as if Regina was about to fall asleep but Emma knew the brunette never slept, napped maybe, but never _slept_. "But Leo called you 'Agent Swan'."

Another hum, and Emma just didn't know how to answer the confused question. Yes it was true, she _had _lied and Emma was more than aware of the fact that Regina didn't like to be lied to. "I didn't want to- I don't actually know, to be honest."

There was a pregnant pause, and Regina suddenly let out a throaty chuckle that actually both surprised and frightened Emma. And for just a split second there, Emma thought this place had finally broken Regina, had finally caused Regina to go insane. That Emma's lie had been the drop that caused the bucket to overflow.

"You don't know?" A snort of laughter and Emma could hear Regina's smile through the words. "You don't know?" She repeated and the laughing fit that left her sounded genuine and it even caused Emma's lips to turn upwards with a small smile.

It went on for minutes and after the most was over, only occasional wheezes left Regina's lips. "Thank you." She said softly, her dark eyes blinking, staring into the nothing that surrounded them. "Thank you for making me laugh again, Agent Swan."

"Oh, it was my pleasure Miss..." She started, but stopped when she realised she didn't even know Regina last name.

"Mills." Regina answered the unasked question as she moved closer to the bars. "Regina Mills."

"Well then." Emma grinned even though Regina couldn't see it. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Mills."

And through Regina's snort of laughter, Emma wondered why that name sounded so familiar to her.

...

**~ Two weeks ago, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. ~**

"What do you mean, went wrong?!" Mary M. Swan practically yelled. Her dark brown coffee mug was still lying in pieces on the floor, coffee now forming a small puddle at her feet, soaking the flip-flops she was wearing. She'd dropped it, just like that tall man wearing his dark suit had just dropped that news. That terrible, horrifying news. Mary's worst nightmare.

David Swan was just sitting at the wooden table, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say. Though he was doubting he could even speak.

Emma, his beautiful little girl was somewhere out there, probably hurt, maybe even dead.

They never should've allowed her to pursue such line of work. Why couldn't Emma just have liked to teach, or hell, even paint? Why was his little girl always drawn to danger.

"Ma'am, we think their cover was blown." God why was Jerry Alderling always the one to bring the news, to drop the bom and destroy the family.

"You should've protected her!" David Swan finally joined the conversation. The thick vein in his neck was bulging and spit was flying from his mouth. "You and your agency, you said you'd do anything to keep her safe when she first joined your little suicide mission!"

Seeing as Jerry Alderling had always been the one to inform the relatives, he was trained to handle situations like this. There were many reactions, he knew. Some people started crying and screaming, tearing at his freshly ironed shirt. Some just went silent, forcing Jerry to watch their throat to make sure they were still breathing. And even though option one was the most common, he was no stranger to option three, which was blinding fury and blame. The exact reaction he got from the Swan family.

And so he started to try and calm them down with words like 'we're doing everything we can' and 'nothing is certain yet'. And though the words were true, they were still empty and Jerry knew that. Mary M. Swan and David Swan knew that too.

...

Leave a review! ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note: **

Phew, long time no see. And that's entirely my fault and I apologize for that, life has just been really busy and now I finally got a moment to breathe. So hereby a new chapter. It's lighter than the others, maybe nice for a change.

...

"Are you familiar with the game called Twenty Questions?" Emma asked, her voice sounded somewhat casual, like she wasn't trapped in a cage in the middle of fucking nowhere. The blond was picking at her fingernail, removing dirt that had been caking under there and flicking it away with her thumb and forefinger. Having been in this cage for about a week now, though Emma couldn't tell for certain, it wasn't as if there was a clock hanging on the wall - her nails had now almost been bitten to the flesh. Biting nails had always been a habit of hers for as long as Emma could remember. Whenever she felt anxious, uncertain, her nails would ultimately pay the price.

Which wasn't the worst thing imaginable, seeing that long nails had never been practical. Especially not with her line of work.

Regina's breathy chuckle was a sign that- yes, she did know the game. "Why do you ask, Emma? Are you starting to get curious?" Her voice was throaty, her tone teasing and flirtatious. "Don't you know that curiosity is a sin, dear?"

"No it's not." She snorted, shaking her head. "And even if it was, let me be dammed for it. If this situation has taught me anything, it is that there's no such thing as a God. From what I've heard he isn't into deliberate cruelty."

The statement was met with an arched eyebrow. "So, I suppose you are not a religious person, then?"

Emma chuckled, her grin visible even in the semi-darkness. "Does this mean you're playing Miss Mills? My, my, I'm surprised you would indulge me in such 'pedestrian' activities."

"Shut up, Emma."

"Well, to answer your question: no, I'm not what one would call a religious person." Emma continued, trying not to laugh at the vulgar language. "My turn." Her smile turned mischievous and Regina swore she could see a tiny sparkle in those green eyes. Even with the minimal lighting.

"Is this really necessary? I have much better ways to kill time, Emma. For example, listening to the rats, running inside the walls." Her dark eyes rolled in faux-boredom as she said the words.

"But this would be so much more fun, don't you think!" By the way she said it, it wasn't a question the blond wanted an answer to. Green eyed pinched in thought as emma tried to come up with a question she wanted to ask the mysterious brunette, but one that wouldn't be too straight forward, after all- it was still the first round. No need to crush the flirtatious atmosphere in the first go.

...

"No way!" The words were said in a hushed scream. "Unbelievable, you used to have a horse?! What are you, the lost princess of Genovia?"

Regina huffed, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown. "No, and are you seriously comparing me to that silly movie?"

Emma snorted (very unladylike but - and Regina would never admit it out loud - adorable) her good hand slapped down on her bare thigh. "And here I was, thinking that that reference would go right over your head."

"Really Miss Swan, exactly how old do you think I am?"

"Is that your sixth question?"

The only response Emma got was a huffed _Oh, do shut up_.

The next hour or so flew by. It was a cycle with Emma's stupid comments and Regina's sarcastic replies. Yes, a cycle- but not an annoying one, much to Regina's chagrin.

"What's the last restaurant you've been to and why?"

"Aren't those two questions?" The brunette drawled, her head lolling back against the wall. She was beginning to feel tired.

"Oh come on, Regina. You're such a spoilsport, it isn't like we have something better to do."

With a small smile and a faux-annoyed huff Regina replied. "Fine, and I'm not a spoilsport."

"Alright, alright." Emma grinned. "So answer the question." After a pointed look shot toward her from between narrowed eyes, she added _Please_.

"I can't remember when exactly, but it was with my parents at a local restaurant in the town where I grew up." Her expression turned solemn, but Emma didn't seem to notice.

"Oh and where's that? Genovia?"

The joke brought a small smile onto Regina's troubled expression. "It was in Storybrooke, a small town in Maine. We went because... because it was my mother's birthday."

The small pause didn't go unnoticed by Emma, but the blond decided not to press it and instead changed the subject to something which she thought was safer.

"I grew up in a lot of difference places, my dad was in the military so moving was kind of our yearly thing. Like Christmas, only with a lot more boxes, that don't contain nice presents."

"I'm sorry, that must have been hard for you." There was relief in those dark eyes. Relief that told a much darker story than the brunette was leading on.

"No, don't apologize, it wasn't like you could do anything about it. And sometimes it really wasn't that bad. Sure, I had to try and make new friends, that would only be my friends for the next six months or so, but I do get bored of one place pretty quickly." Emma waved across the room with her good arm, a genuine smile on her face. The first real smile Regina had seen of her, the brunette realized. "So this is a bummer, but at least I have you to keep me entertained."

"I'm glad I can help." Regina smiled softly and that were the last words said for a long while. The two women just sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the soft sound of wind outside the cabin, the tapping of tiny paws in the walls. There were no muffled voices behind the door, which signaled their captors had apparently left them to their own devices.

It was not an unusual happening, Regina knew. She was left alone a lot before Emma came here. The company was nice for a change, but still, if she could somehow magically transport the girl to her home, she would. By God she would.

No one deserved this, and especially not the kindhearted, goofy blond that was locked up in cage next to her.

...

Regina had fallen asleep about ten minutes ago, Emma could hear it in the slowed breathing pattern that had developed over an half hour ago. She glanced sideways, the brunette had wrapped herself in an old, ratty looking, blanket. Only her head and the tips of her finger where she was gripping the fabric, peaked out from underneath.

It was an adorable sight and Emma was glad she could still appreciate the small things, even in such dire circumstances. She placed her good hand on the dirty, sand-covered, floor and pushed herself up slightly to relief her now aching tailbone. Oh, how she missed her comfortable bed in that crappy LA apartment, everything else there was shit quality, but she had invested in a proper bed. Here there was only a thin blanket and sand that seemed to stick to everything. And when she said everything, Emma meant _everything_.

She felt dirty and her hair was matted. But still, when Regina had told her about the weakly baths when Emma first got here, her mind had turned blank and a ripple of fear and disgust ran up her spine instead of relief that she could at least wash. It hadn't been as bad as she first thought. They were just pulled out of their cel one by one and hosed down with a garden hose, before being handed a towel and roughly pushed back inside the cage. It was a cycle that happened every week on the same day.

Her mind suddenly returned to the conversation she and Regina had had earlier this week. Mills, Regina had told her her last name was Mills. It sounded so familiar, yet Emma couldn't seem to figure out why. Sure, Mills was a commonly used name, she could've just heard it somewhere on the news or something. But somehow, something in her mind told her that that was definitely not the case.

A light switch seemed to be flicked on as Emma's mind suddenly brightened, her jaw dropped as she glanced sideways again, gaping at the brunette. It couldn't be, surely it was not the case. Emma knew that what she was thinking of right this minute was very far fetched. But hadn't Regina let slip somewhere in their game that she had come to this country with her mother, because of a business trip?

Imaginary dots seemed to connect themselves inside Emma's mind as she blond snapped her mouth shut. She'd read something in a file. A name, her name.

_Regina's name._

It was case file number 120115A. Something about an oil scheme going on in North Korea. Yes, Emma remembered it all. A person of interested had been Cora Mills, mother of Regina Mills, she and her daughter had dissapeared not long before the case had hit a dead end. Emma had never seen photos of the women, but this was way too specific to be a coincidence.

But that meant that this woman, this gorgeous beauty next to her that had been locked up in this cage for over a year, that had been more than reluctant to even mention her mother, was the daughter of a wanted fugitive. A wanted fugitive Emma Swan was pretty sure died a year ago, the exact same time Regina had been grabbed off the street.

...

Thanks for reading, I hope next chapter will be longer. If you have the time, leave a review.


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors note: **

Well it's been a while, totally my fault. The next chapter will probably be late too because my exams start in three weeks and I really,

_really_

need to study for them. Like, I need to go over everything from the passed four years. Anyways, much thanks for the people who are still following and I promise (also to the people who sent me a pm, wondering if I had abandoned the story) that, even though it may take me a while to post the chapters, I'll never abandon this and I swear I will finish the story.

Pinky promise! ;)

...

**~ One year ago ~**

"Graham! There you are, you dipshit! You missed Peter's retirement party last night!" Emma chuckled, plopping down into the chair that was placed next to her partner's desk. "I thought you said you were going to be there? What happened? Did the girlfriend call and demand you to come home?"

He chuckled, dropping his pen down on the report he was just writing. "Yeah, something like that."

"Oh was she out of pickles?" Emma grinned, her eyebrows moving up and down. "Or was she out of _pickle_?"

"You are disgusting, Em!" Graham sighed, his head shaking while releasing a small chuckle. "I know it's been a long time for you, but there's no need to fixate on me and April. Maybe you need to have a talk with Archie?"

Her fist slammed into his upper arm with a surprising force. "Shut up, I do not _fixate_. It was just friendly curiosity, you know. Just wondering how she and the babe were doing." Emma defended, her arms crossing over her chest as she leaned back against the back of the chair. "Besides, that was not the only reason I came disturbing your peace. The boss wants to see us, he said it's important. Something about case file 120115A."

The smile immediately dropped from Graham's face when he heard the number. Emma wasn't smiling anymore also. Because they both knew what that meant.

They were silent while they made their way to the office of Deputy Director Don Tanner. Five minutes hadn't even passed before they were sitting in front of the big, wooden desk, staring intently at the man in front of them. The one who was staring at case file 120115A, not even looking up while he started talking. "I think you both know why you two are here? I am aware of the several rumors that have been going around the department and it is my task to inform you that they were all true. Several other agents have discussed the matter of file 120115A and decided that you two are the best agents for the job."

There was a pause and after a moment Graham was the first to respond. "Sir, with all due respect, you know that April's due date is in two months. You can't possible be sending me to North Korea right now."

Don Tanner sighed, his mustache unmoving as he started his explanation." I know Graham, and I wouldn't want to sent you out in the field if there was a choice, but there is not. This decision was made above my head. There is nothing I can do about it, but you knew what you signed up for when you joined the agency four years ago."

Emma kept silent. She wasn't sure how she was feeling about all this. It wasn't like she had a family back home, not like Graham had- well except for her parents, but that wasn't the same. But still, this would be dangerous, possibly life threatening.

And that all to prove that some woman named Cora Mills was illegally trading oil with North Koreans.

...

**~ Present ~ **

Emma almost hit her head as she shot upright, her chest heaving with harsh breaths, trying to still her heart. That dream- well not exactly a dream, more like a memory. She'd tried not to think about it ever since Graham died (thinking about him never knowing his son was too hard) and for the most part it had worked. But hearing Cora's name yesterday, it seemed to have pulled the memory up form the deep puddle that is her brain nowadays.

Case file 120115A.

Emma wondered if Regina was aware of all the things her mother was dealing with and hoped that that was not the case. It would be terrible to see the woman locked up in federal prison after all she's been through. That was, _if _they ever came out of this hellhole alive.

"Emma?" Regina's voice was low with sleep, a sigh leaving her as she stretched her arms out and sat up. "Is everything alright? You were talking in your sleep, dear." She smiled softly, her eyes narrowed with concern.

And Emma knew, she just knew that even if Regina Mills was aware of her mother's illegal business (though Emma was still sure that the brunette did not), there was no way in hell that the woman would get locked up in federal prison, not if there was anything that Emma could do about it. Fleeing to Europe was always an option, not that it would get that far.

"Yeah, yeah." Emma didn't want the brunette to worry. "Everything's just fine, had a bad dream, that's all. And to be honest, who could blame me?" There was a grin on her face as she waved her hand around the cage, trying to make light of a situation that was absolutely the most hopeless she'd ever been in. No one knew they were here, and maybe no one even knew that they were gone to begin with. Though unlikely, Emma wouldn't be surprised if the agency was still under the impression that she was just doing her job right now, taking pictures and questioning unsuspecting civilians.

Regina's chocolate eyes lit up, the small smile on her face being the cause of that. "Yes, you're right, I had them to back when I first arrived here."

"Can I ask what they were about?" Emma bit her bottom lip, wondering hoping that she hadn't just crossed a line.

There fell a heavy silence, only the sound of the rats in the walls was to be heard, a soft tap, tap, tap, that was soothing in some strange, messed up way that told both women they had been here for way too long. And when Regina finally resumed talking, Emma realized that she already knew what the brunette was about to say. She had read it before.

"My mother's death."

...

"They shot her in the head." Regina's face was stoic, no emotion showing and Emma guessed that she had probably cried enough when she first got here. Survival instinct must have kicked in and with that, the tears had stopped. "We just got out of a very important meeting, at least that was what mother called it. We just crossed the road and were about to turn the corner when I felt like someone was watching us."

Emma was listening intently, brining her legs up and resting her chin on her knees. She concentrated on the sound of Regina's voice, even noticing the slight tremor that came through when the brunette talked about how two man grabbed her from behind, one arm around her throat and the other one over her mouth, and pulled she and her mother into the closed alleyway. Teary, chocolate eyes looked down when Regina reached the part where they'd held a gun to her mother's head, threatening to shoot if they would so much as utter a word. Regina and her mother had both kept quiet, but as the three men pulled Regina into a van, the gun went off anyway.

"I saw it, Emma." Still no real tears had fallen and Regina would like to keep it that way. She had cried enough, had cried too much. "I just looked back, wondering if they were also pulling my mother into the van when I saw him pull the trigger. There was blood everywhere and my mother's eyes just rolled back into her head. It was the most terrible sight I've ever seen." Regina sniffled, finally looking up to meet Emma's blue eyes. "And do you know what they did with the body, those disrespectful pigs? The threw her next to the trash, like she didn't matter. And somehow I think that that was the worst of all. I sometimes think that she's still there, that nobody has found her and given her a proper burial even if it would be in an unmarked grave."

Emma's heartstrings pulled when Regina softly muttered if Emma thought that someone had found her mother. It sounded like it came from a three year old girl. "I do think that, Regina. I think that some nice civilian called the police and they made sure that the your mother got a proper burial."

A small smile lit up Regina's face. Rationally she knew that that was an unrealistic thought, and she knew that Emma was just indulging her. Ther was no way her blond companion could know. But that also made her appreciate the gesture even more. "Thank you, Emma. It's very nice to hear someone else say that, and not just think it in my head."

"Yes of course, I completely understand." After having said that, she laid back down on the ground, biting her bottom lip and thinking about what she had just said, knowing that it was complete and utter bullshit.

But still, what was the point of telling an already damaged woman the truth and risking damaging her more?

Regina never needed to find out that once the American government had gotten wind of the news that one of their most wanted fugitives, Cora Mills, had been shot in the head and left for dead in a alleyway somewhere in North Korea. They had immediately sent someone to get her.

There was no need to tell the brunette that her mother's dead body was lying in a morgue somewhere in the pentagon, never having gotten that 'proper burial' that Regina had wanted her to get.

...

**~ One year and two months ago ~**

"I want to see her."

"Sir we really can't let you see her, the body is under jurisdiction of the American government and we can't make and any exception even though I would like to." Janice Baldwing hadn't had that much experience dealing with these sorts of situations, but she still thought she kept her footing nicely. Even though it somewhat hurt to see the tears in the old man's eyes. The old man who was demanding to see his wife's body.

Something that could _not _happen, or else she would be fired. (Her boss' words).

"Can't you just let me see her for once. It's bad enough that I was informed of this three weeks after you found her but please- just let me!" Henry Mills' dark eyes were close to tears. "Please I can't loose both of them, you have to find my daughter now, please make sure she doesn't end up like her mother."

Even though Janice Baldwing didn't have much experience, she still thought she was doing quite nicely, up until now that was. "I haven't read anything about a daughter, sir. At least not in this report." Turned out she didn't know what to say when she got blindsided.

Henry Mills turned into a crying, angry mess after hearing that the American government truly did not care for his daughter. Apparently you weren't important if you weren't a criminal. Screams of _'You'll kill her', 'You'll kill her' _echoed in the room.

Janice Baldwing had seen no solution but to call security.

And when she thought about this day, ten years from then, she could still blame it on the lack of experience. It did not mix well with being blindsided.

...

Here ya go, I would appreciate it if you would leave a review ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors note: **Hi there everyone! It's official, I graduated high school and I'm so happy you can't imagine. But that also means that I can finally focus on my writing again, because it really has been neglected - which I'm terribly sorry for by the way. Really. I've forced myself to pick it up again and finish these three stories I'm currently writing before I start with anything else. Three stories really is too much, you guys. Anyway back to the story, here's a new chapter and I'm trying to update again as soon as possible. I'm going on a vacation next week, but I'll still try to update.

Thank you all for your patience, you're all angels. I hope you can wait a little longer, for we are nearing the end of this story!

**Trigger warning: violence, death, aftermath of rape!**

...

**~ The Pentagon. Arlington county, Virginia ~**

"Sir, honest to God, I'm telling you it's him. There is no doubt about it, the DNA proves it. It is a match. There's no way around it."

Don Tanner kept on walking, a brown file stamped classified clutched in his right fist. He rounded corner after corner, until finally arriving at a windowless hallway that had only one door at the end of it. He punched in the code on the small panel next to the door that read _authorised personnel only_. It opened with a soft click. Once inside Don Tanner slammed the door closed behind him.

The room itself was barren. No windows, no anything. Only a metal autopsy table, with on it a bodybag was situated in the middle. There was a white tag atttached to the bag, which said his name and casenumber.

2274958.

Don Tanner would never forget the number. It was as simple as that. It was branded in his mind. Forever associated with this. Nothing would be the same again after he acknowledged it now. After he took hold of the zipper and unzipped the bag. And yet, at the same time, nothing would change. Not for Don Tanner at least. Not for his wife, not for his boss and not for the random stranger walking through the streets of Los Angeles.

He took a deep breath and almost gagged as the clinical smell filled his nostrils. It reminded him of death. And the many, many autopsies he'd witnessed back when he was a rookie and the deputy director thought they needed some expertise in all the fields. Tanner remembered it as clear as if it was yesterday. _It came with the job_, he used to say, _and you either do it, or stop_. If you choose to stop, he was done with you.

But Don Tanner never chose to stop. And he wasn't going to start now. He mustered up the courage and reached for the zipper. Then he pulled.

...

Regina was shivering and Emma's fists were itching. The brunette hadn't uttered a word since she was quite literally thrown back into her cage. Leo had been pissed off when he first went to get her - to put it lightly - which was obvious, seeing the brunette's state when Regina was returned. The poor woman was black and blue. A swollen, bloody lip and dark blotches on her cheek clearly put there by fists. After Emma had sloppily tried to stop the cut on her eyebrow from bleeding, Regina had uttered a small _thank you _before crawling to the dark corner of her cage. It had been silent after that. Dead silent. Not even the sound of breathing pierced the barrier of darkness that surrounded her. And Emma was getting worried. She had been thinking about Regina, more precisely, Regina's _mother. _

The conclusion Emma reached after hours of pondering was that she simply didn't have to mention Cora Mills. She was dead, case closed. It was as simple as that, wasn't it? There was no need to drag this back up. Cora was dead and her daughter had mourned her. Bringing this up, a year after the fact would do nothing but scrape open old wounds. Wounds Emma had no business of digging into. After all, Cora Mills had never been her case, not really anyway.

So yeah, Emma was going to keep her mouth shut. At least for how long they were trapped here. Which, by the look of things, was going to be the remainder of their lives. Emma had no plan. Which was bad, because Emma knew Regina had almost reached the end of her sanity. The moment the brunette would just give up came closer and closer and Emma dreaded it with a fear she had never felt before. She would never forgive herself if Regina died here. After all, she was the agent in this story, she was the one trained for situations like this, the one trained to kill if necessary.

And right now, it was necessary damnit.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted with a heavy pounding on the other side of the door. They would most likely be leaving now for a meal and return after three or four hours. Observing had really been the only thing Emma could do, and so she'd done it with all her might. Mentally noting everything she saw. And when she said everything, she meant absolutely _everything. _It was how she'd come to learn that most of the time they were with three here in the house. Leo, and two armed soldiers. Though Emma never saw a gun, Emma suspected that Leo himself was probably also armed.

There was no clock she could see, or even an old calendar that showed itself every time the old, creaky door opened, but by Emma's mental calculation and the changing of the light that passed through the creaks in the wood, Emma suspected that it had been almost four weeks since she'd been dragged here. Regina had told her on one particular bad afternoon that they let her out of her cage once every month so they could clean it. They would pull her out and place her against the wall with her hands tied to her feet. One armed soldier would hold her at gunpoint while Leo smoked a cigarette and the other guard would clean the cage.

It didn't seem useful back then, probably because Emma didn't think she would still be alive the next time they would clean the cages. But now... And suddenly, very unexpectedly, a small light seemed to go off in Emma's head.

She'd found her plan.

...

**~ The Pentagon. Arlington county, Virginia ~**

Once he had unzipped the body bag, a sudden, tragic realization came to him. This body, lying here in a state of severe decomposition with a bullethole through his skull, was going to be a dad, or already was a dad, he couldn't quite remember. His mind wasn't able to focus. Knowing that it was Agent Helwr - _Graham_, and actually seeing him lying there. It was a totally different thing, and Don Tanner hadn't expected this.

They had told him that Graham was found drifting away in a North Korean dock. And upon further investigation, blood had been found in one of the many tankers that were docked there. It was Agent Swan's - _Emma's _blood. Seeing that they had not found a body, he was still hopeful that she had somehow made it. That she had survived, that she was out there somewhere, breathing.

Losing one of his agents had already been bad enough, especially because it was one of his best. But losing two, the best two he had on his team, Don Tanner wasn't sure he would get over that. That the CIA would get over that.

He took one last look at the body that did not resemble the amazing man he had known and zipped up the bag again. He would find her, he had to. He had to for Graham, for Emma's parents. That's why he would go on the rescue mission himself. And after that, when he'd found Emma Swan, he would go on an early retirement.

...

Four days later - if Emma had been counting correctly at least - the plan could finally be set in motion. Regina had somewhat recovered again - which basically meant she was able to sit up straight again. Watching the brunette over the past four days had been heartbreaking for Emma. Seeing the immense pain reflect in those gorgeous brown eyes had only strengthened Emma's will to make this work. To make sure that if not herself, then at least Regina would make it out of here alive.

She slowly twisted her wrist, it didn't hurt as much as it did two weeks ago, but Emma still had to make sure she didn't overuse it. Somewhere in the back of her mind worry gnawed away at her brain. _What if I will never be able to use it like before? _But she pushed those thoughts away quickly. She needed to focus if she wanted it to work.

It was maybe the afternoon, judging by the light creeping through the wood - or lack thereof actually. The three men entered the room and Emma sneaked a quick glance, making sure there was no fourth man in the room. Which there wasn't, fortunately.

Leo was grinning when Regina moaned in pain as they pulled her out of her cage. The bruises had only become more prominent in the time passed, but the cut in her lip had almost completely healed up. Which was good, Emma thought.

The blonde watched through narrowed eyes as they practically forced the brunette against the wall and made her drop to the ground. They bound her hands to her feet with a piece of rough rope, not bothering with the painful hiss that Regina released.

And now it was her turn. Emma wasn't stupid enough to act immediately, not when they had Regina at gunpoint. Instead she'd let them push her to the wall, making her stumble on her barely-used legs. She'd allow them to bound her hands to her feet, but made sure to slightly hold her feet apart. It would make it easier to rip her hands free. Once she was situated next to Regina, the soldier who pulled them out of their cell grabbed the bucket that was standing by the door. True to Regina's words, Leo pulled out a package of Marlboro and a lighter. She glanced up at the soldier who was holding the gun. He didn't seem to think they would do anything with their hands and feet bound, since he wasn't even holding his finger near the trigger.

A mistake on his part.

A big mistake.

Getting her hands free wasn't a problem at all, doing it unnoticed was. Leo wasn't really paying attention, neither was the soldier cleaning the cages, but the armed soldier, he would be a problem. And Emma had almost given up once the soldier moved to the other cage, being done with the first one.

But just like that it happened. Like the universe was finally on her side, if only for that only little moment that would be enough to ensure her freedom. The soldier who was busy cleaning, dropped his bucket. The iron making a harsh sound as it connected with the ground. Leo looked up, startled and so did the armed soldier. It was enough for Emma to pull her hands and feet free and jump to her feet.

Regina looked up startled, confused but also somewhat hopeful as Emma kicked the soldier in his stomach, grabbing the gun from hands. _His own fault for not holding it tight enough_, she thought bitterly. The bullet was through his head before he could even draw breath again.

She shot once at the soldier who was still in the cage. The bullet piercing just below his neck, paralyzing the hand that was about to reach for the gun tucked in his belt. Blood splattered the wall, mixing with the water on the ground as his body dropped to the floor.

Dead.

Still, Emma miscalculated how fast Leo would be as she quickly ducked away when the gun sounded. It was clear he wasn't an experienced shooter as he was aiming for her head.

It all went very fast after that; Leo's body dropping to the floor once a bullet first pierced his chest and another one went straight through his eye. Regina's screaming as a spray of glass and pieces of wood covered her - a stray bullet, one last reflex from Leo's dead body. The stench of blood, piss and human feces filled the room as Emma dropped her gun. She acted quickly, untying Regina, who was clearly in shock. Her dark eyes blinking and staring at nothing.

"Regina." Emma said sternly, lightly shaking the woman. "Regina I need you to snap out of it." She shook harder. "Regina, snap out of it!" She yelled in her face and it somehow seemed to work.

Regina blinked, her face still motionless, but at least she was present again.

Emma pulled her up from the ground. "We need to leave, we need to get out of here!"

Only when her weight rested on her legs again did Emma feel it. Adrenaline must have hidden the first sting.

"Shit." Emma muttered quietly, watching as the dark red blood dripped from the hole, down her leg and soaked the ground beneath her.

...

Cliffhanger! Don't you just love those! ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors note: **There some sort of spiritual experience in this chapter I would say. Blame it on the amount of X-Files I've been watching these past few weeks.

...

If anyone could see them right now, Emma thought, a wheezy laugh escaping her cracked lips. They were so dry they felt like sand paper. Regina shot her a worried glance, hearing the wheezing sound, but Emma quickly reassured her with a lazy wink. The two women were walking- well, one of them was walking the other was limping- through the desert. And how the fuck could there be a fucking desert in North-Korea for fuck's sake?! They hadn't been able to locate their clothes in that rat hole of a shed, which left them still clad in only underwear. Emma could feel the bottoms of her feet burning from the scalding hot sun. God, she was so thirsty, and her damn leg just wouldn't stop bleeding.

"We must be close to some form of civilization." Regina said softly, voice shaking. She was keeping a firm pace, all the while trying to support Emma. She had a strange, distant look in her eyes which yelled 'traumatized' to Emma. "I read once that even though there are deserts in North-Korea, they are actually more like giant dunes. Which means we will eventually get out of here."

Leo's belt, that Emma had sloppily tied around her leg before they escaped the house, wasn't doing much good. The blood was still trickling in a steady drip. Fuck. At the pace that they were going, which was very _very _slow, she would earlier bleed out than ever feel pavement under her feet again.

"The sand between my toes reminds me of going to the beach back when I was younger. My daddy had a beach house in Florida and we used to go there almost every summer." The brunette's tone was dreamy and her smile was- well it was damn close to creepy if Emma said so herself. She crinkled her green eyes and examined the other woman. Regina's toned skin was now red with a clear case of sunburn. Her nose, her cheekbones, her chin and her forehead were all covered in the color of irritated skin.

"Are you feeling alright, Regina?" Emma panted softly, throwing her braid over her right shoulder while she took another step. And another. Step, burning pain, step. Step, burning pain, step.

"I'm not feeling anything, Emma Swan." Regina answered. Her dreamy smile dissapearing. She released a wheeze of her own past full, badly cracked lips. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her body connected with the sandy ground.

_The sand between my toes reminds me of going to the beach, Emma._

...

_"Regina, Regina darling don't overreact."_

Her eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds and Regina was about to give up on ever opening them again until her mother's voice pierced through the thick blur that was surrounding her brain.

_Mother_. She wanted to say it but it came out in a weird gurgling sound that came close to the cooing of a baby. Damn.

"Talk Regina." Cora sighed as she sat back in her heels. Her daughter was lying in front of her, unresponsive, acting like a child. "Use your words, dear."

Her voice sounded so real, Regina thought. But that couldn't possibly be. Mother was dead, buried in the ground, Emma had promised her.

"Oh you mean that blonde girl that it yelling over your unconscious body right now? That is the Emma you've been moaning about? Mmm, the name doesn't really fit her, does it darling? Not with those biceps at least."

"Mother, am I dead?" Regina softly muttered, blinking lazily as she finally found the strength to open her eyes.

Dead?" The word came out simultaneously with a laugh. "Oh no, dear. Not by a long shot. This is not heaven if you believe that ridiculous notion. This is merely one of the strange fabrications of your mind."

"I'm dreaming?" Regina asked, her eyes blinking rapidly now. She couldn't see anything. There was only black nothingness around her. She couldn't feel her body, let alone move any part of it except her head. "Was I dreaming everything?" There was a flicker of hope now. Hope that she was not actually trailing through a desert in North-Korea right now with a CIA agent who was mortally wounded, dressed in nothing but her underwear.

"No dear." Cora's smugness had dissipated."I'm sorry to say that not everything is a dream.

There was a sudden, cold hand brushing a strand of hair away from her face and it had regina flinching violently. Her breath stopped in her throat and Regina could feel her tired, beaten up body tensing.

"Shhh, dear. It's just me." Cora was now slowly stroking her head and it occurred to Regina that this really must be a dream because mother had never done this before. This kind of warmth was something new to her entirely. "There is no need to be afraid now, Regina. You can rest now."

"I don't want to rest, mother." Regina was surprised at how fast she said it. Truth be told she wanted nothing more than to rest, to just stop everything. But there was something nagging in the back of her head. Telling her to open her fucking eyes and wake up. Emma was waiting for her out there. Wherever there was. She needed to get back there and take care of Emma like Emma had done for her these past few months. "I need to get back to my friend." Friend? Yes she had come to think of Emma as a friend. To be completely honest, sometimes she had imagined them as something slightly more than friends. But those were thoughts that she kept completely to herself.

"Regina dear, it's entirely your choice. If you want to get back to Emma Swan, then all you have to do is open your eyes and wake up."

"How do you know about Emma?" Regina asked softly, her eyes confused as she took another deep breath. The air tasted stale.

"Oh dear, a mother knows." Cora chuckled, the hand that was tangled in Regina's hair stopped. "It's my job to know, I believe. And with that said, I think it's time to wake up, darling." Then the hand disappeared and Regina felt cold again.

"Mother?" She asked softly, panicked. "Mother are you there?"

...

Emma was starting to severely panick. Maybe she was going into some sort of shock but she felt very lightheaded. She had eventually even resulted to a slap across the face (not really a slap, more like a friendly pat on the cheek) to try and wake the brunette up. But nothing had worked. Regina was dead to the world and Emma hoped that that was the only sort of dead she was. No way she would make her way out of this place without Regina. She was not leaving the woman behind. Period.

"Uhhhh."

There was a moan resounding and Emma's head snapped up from her bloody leg. At first she thought the sound may have come form her own mouth, but then she saw Regina's body stir. It was minimum, but movement nonetheless. In this position the blonde would take anything she could. "Regina?" She softly whispered, trying not to let her anxiety take over. It would do no good to freak out right now, Emma. Stay calm. The only response that she got was another moan and she could see Regina's eyes move behind closed lids. "Regina." She tried again, this time softly shaking the woman. "Wake up, Regina. We still have some miles to go and I need you to be my walking stick." Joking had always made things easier in Emma's experience, so this was no exception. And even though she may die within the next three hours, it didn't put a damper on things, so to speak.

"Emma." It sounded incoherent and so not like the Regina she had come to know. But Emma felt like angels were singing right now.

"Yes, it's Emma. Now I need you to wake up for me, Regina. We have to get out of here so we can go find a hospital or something and I won't leave you behind." The _I promised _was only said in her mind. Her breathing stopped as she watched the other woman slowly open her eyes. _Thank god, she is not dead _was the first thing that popped into her head. Seeing those chocolate eyes was such a relieve that the throbbing pain in her leg was suddenly forgotten. Or maybe that happened because her entire leg now started to feel numb and useless. Damn.

Regina blinked rapidly against the scorching sunlight that was slowly cooking her brains. She could feel the flush on her overheated skin, she could feel the sand irritating the sunburn that covered almost her entire body and yet she felt like she was freezing to death. "E-Emma." Her voice was breaking, and her jaw started to move on it's own accord. "E-Emma, I'm so co-cold." Her body started to shake uncontrollably and Regina wondered if this was what dying felt like and if it was real this time. Would she see mother again? And would mother be disappointed at her for showing up so soon after their last conversation. Would daddy be there? Or was he still alive, unwilling to let his sorrow get the best of him? So many questions. And there was only one important one; would Emma join her there?

...

Emma had spent the last hour trying to get Regina to calm down her breathing and trying to keep her warm. She wasn't stupid, she knew it could only buy them _some _time. Emma was aware they were both going into shock, which was bad. Very bad. But maybe - she was trying to convince herself - maybe _some _time was all they would need. Perhaps her parents or the CIA had finally figured out where they were and they could arrive any time now and save them. Yeah, there was still some hope left in Emma and she couldn't help but smile at that fact. It was a family trait, her dad always used to say with that stupid, but proud grin on his face, the one Emma always used to hate. The one that she would always scoff at when she was thirteen years old. And only now Emma realized that perhaps he was right. Perhaps it _did _run into the family. And nowadays it was the only thing that has kept her going, that forced her to push through.

"I can feel you thinking." Regina muttered softly in a tired voice.

"Sorry." Emma sighed, wrapping her arms tighter around the brunette. They were sharing body warmth now and Emma hated to admit it, but she was kind of enjoying it even though she was slowly bleeding to death. It was the only thing that made her feel _something _right now seeing that entire body was slowly going numb. "I was just thinking about my dad." The ghost of a smile appeared on her face. "Did I tell you my mom used to call him Prince Charming because he reminded her of the prince in Snow White and the seven dwarfs?"

Regina smiled back at her, teeth still clattering slightly. "No, you never told me. But now I'd love to meet him." A low chuckle resounded. "Perhaps I should call you _my _Prince Charming, with saving me and all."

Emma snorted. "If that were true, you would be a damsel in distress and if there is anything you are not, Regina Mills, is it a damsel in distress."

"Then perhaps I'll be the Evil Queen." Regina teased, looking up at the blonde with a smirk. "I always did figure you had a taste for wicked."

"It was mostly the clothes, I assure you." Both women released a soft laugh at that one, which was followed by a comfortable silence.

"You know, Emma." Regina yawned, already closing her eyes. "I'm glad you're the one I'm stuck with in a desert." And with one last shudder Regina fell asleep.

The sun was already gone when Emma woke up four hours later in total darkness. The only thing that stuck out were the two yellow lights that rapidly came their way.

...

Please leave a review, they make me happy!


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors note: **Well, one chapter to go people, but for now, hope you enjoy this one.

...

"Oh my god." Was the first thing that came out of Emma's mouth at seeing those two yellow dots becoming clearer and clearer, rapidly approaching with a speed that could only mean they were mechanical and not some creepy coyote's eyes. She took a glance at the body next to her; Regina was still in her exhaustion induced coma, her cracked lips millimeters away from the sand, her cheek resting on the ground. There was a joke about a beauty-salon in there somewhere, Emma was certain of it.

With shaking hands, either from fear or relief, Emma gently shook Regina's sunburned body, wincing when she saw how the imprint of her hands was left behind in the damaged skin. "Regina, we need to get up!" She was now shaking harder for the headlights were getting closer and closer and Emma still had no idea who these people were. They could be CIA, but they could also be enemies, although Emma was pretty sure Leo and his crew were more than dead, probably rotting in hell right about now.

There was still no reaction on Regina's part, her body staying still alarmingly so. But Emma could see the woman was still breathing, albeit shallowly, but there was still movement in her chest. "Goddamnit Regina, we need to get up!" She was yelling now. In frustration. In fear. You name it, but it was strong enough for her to almost manhandle Regina.

She sighed in defeat, praying to some god who was listening that this was CIA, that the people who were hurrying towards them were _her_ people. The tiny amount of light provided by the moon was starting to show the silhouette of the car, it was a pick-up type of car, but there was no way to make out the people sitting in the car.

The wheels of the vehicle was causing sand to fly up into thick clouds, forcing Emma to shield her eyes when the car came to a halt almost next to them. She coughed, then somehow found the strength to move to her feet, her leg screaming in objection.

"Who are you and what the fuck do you want?!" She yelled as three shapes dressed in combat clothes got out of the car. They were wearing helmets so Emma couldn't see their faces.

She balled their fists and yelled again. "What the fuck do you want?!" Even though she was dirty and clad only in her underwear, she was by no means intimidated.

"Agent Swan?" One asked and Emma was about to weep of relief. They were on her side and above all, she recognized that voice.

"Agent Red? Oh my god, is that you?" Emma dropped to the ground, her leg unable to support her any longer and she watched the mentioned agent step forward and pull of her helmet.

"Emma, my god, I never thought I'd see you again!" She jumped forward and dropped to her knees in front of the blonde. "What happened to you, why are you in your underwear? Who is that woman?"

"Whoa, hold on, I'll explain everything but first, the woman is Regina Mills she has been held captive for the last year or so. I took her with me and now I need to get her to a hospital."

"Wait a second." Ruby furrowed her eyebrows. "Mills, I know that name. Why do I know that name, Emma?"

Emma sighed, knowing exactly what would follow and she sneaked somewhat closer to Regina's unconscious body. "She's _the _Regina Mills, the daughter of Cora Mills."

"Emma, you know what this means, we have to arrest and question her." Ruby said softly, already nodding to the other agents that were still standing next to the car. They immediately came into action, stepping towards the brunette.

"No, no, no. Wait a minute!" Emma objected, holding up her hand. "What the fuck Ruby, after I just told you what she's gone through. For fucks sake the woman is unconscious!"

"Emma, you know this is nothing personal, this has to do with national security. Who knows what Regina has done for her mommy."

"Cora is dead, Ruby. That means case closed. There is nothing more to it. You do not touch that woman!" Emma was fuming, her tongue was acid. No way these people were putting a deathly ill woman through a CIA interrogation. Regina Mills was absolutely clueless about her mother's business.

"Fine." Ruby huffed in annoyance. It was clear to her Emma as letting her emotions lead her on this matter. "Now get into the car, let's get you both to safety."

After about twenty minutes of driving, Emma lost consciousness.

...

There were vague shapes behind her eyes, colors mingling into new smudgy colors. Her mouth was dry and felt like it was filled with cotton balls and her body ached all over, like she had gone through a particular bad night with Leo. Sometimes the sound of words passed through the bubble that was surrounding her, keeping out most noise. But she still couldn't make out what they were saying, let alone know where she was.

Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder and it felt like someone was cutting away her flesh, so Regina flinched, though it was unclear to her if she actually moved or if it was just in her head. Through the bubble she could make out the word 'sunburn' and _ah, that explained a lot_. Seconds later the hand quickly pulled away and she mentally sighed. That was much better. The thought about whether or not it had been Emma's hand was her last before Regina got sucked back in the void of unconsciousness.

...

Henry Mills was pacing the hallway. At first he had been so relieved when they called him out of bed to tell him his little girl had been found. He had been waiting at George Washington University Hospital, where he was told Regina would be brought to as soon as they had landed back in the United States. And now he didn't know what the hell was going on with her. She just wouldn't wake up and he didn't know what to do. He had already checked on the blonde woman, who he was told they found together with his daughter. Emma Swan. He'd only gotten a brief glimpse of her before they wheeled her into one of the OR's. He'd met her parents, lovely people, who were also waiting, pacing, drinking coffee and being worried overall.

Everytime a nurse of a doctor came his way he would flinch, look at the person with hopeful eyes and be dissapointed when they would look at him with a mixture of confusion and sympathy before stalking past him.

But still, Henry Mills was not yet ready to abandon all hope. At first he hadn't been sure he would ever see his daughter again, and now she was lying about ten meters away from her, alive. Yes, his little girl was still alive, and that was exactly the fact at which he was clutching right now.

It was the fact that made sure he kept pacing. And not fall down to the floor in a heap of grieve.

...

David and Mary Swan were sitting side by side on the hard, uncomfortable chairs, staring at the door their daughter had been rolled through twenty minutes ago. Or three hours ago, they no longer had any sense of time. Not since they heard their baby girl had been found. Terribly wounded, but alive.

They had been worriedly watching the news when they got the call, something they had been doing nonstop for the past three months, ever since Emma left. Watching and paying attention to any kind of sign about Emma. Waiting for the banner on the bottom of the screen to say _CIA agent Swan found dead_. But it never came. And when that agent, Mary Margaret couldn't even remember his name, told them about Emma, that only made them worry more. No death notice, even though Emma may as well be dead. That was worse than actually knowing for sure that Emma hadn't survived her mission. Instead there was the possibility that her body was dumped somewhere in North-Korea, leaving her family unable to prepare a proper burial.

But no, none of that had happened. Instead they got the call and the man on the other side of the line told them they found Emma Swan, _alive_. David and Mary Swan had never been so relieved. But Emma's condition was bad. The wound on her leg had become infected and she was feverish. The doctors even so far as said that Emma could possibly lose her leg if the infection had become too serious. But they wouldn't know until they operated on her, which they were doing right now.

The doctors were cutting open their baby girl while they were just sitting here, unable to do anything. Mary didn't know what to do or how to feel.

The father of the woman Emma was with, Henry, he had come by for a moment. Asked how Emma was doing and then said that he hoped she would be out soon, so he could thank her for taking care of his daughter.

_Regina, the woman's name was Regina_.

...

Regina first opened her eyes two days after she was brought into the hospital, though she did not know it. She looked at the unfamiliar surroundings. The last thing she was able to remember was the feeling of cold sand against her cheek and the smell of Emma's sweat. Now she was lying in a hospital room, tubes connected to her arms. Panic constricted her stomach and the nauseous feeling she had woken up with, got worse. She quickly rolled to her side and emptied her already empty stomach on the floor next to her bed. The beeping of the heart monitor next to her picked up its pace and seconds later, two nurses came running in.

"Oh, dear girl." The older one said, before grabbing a paper towel and wiping Regina's mouth clean. "Breathe slowly, we don't want to see you heaving up your guts now, do we?" The woman smiled, kind eyes looking over her half-round glasses.

Regina coughed, squinted her eyes. The woman's nametag read 'Granny Lucas' and Regina was sure she must be hallucinating. The younger woman, whose nametag read Belle, was quick to mop up the bile and within ten minutes they were gone again and Regina was left on her own.

At least, she _thought _she was alone.

There was a tearful sigh coming from the doorway and Regina looked up, startled. Tears rushed to her eyes and she promptly started sobbing.

"Daddy?"

She felt safe again, burying her face into her father's jacket like a five year old. Even though it was only for a little while.


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors note: **Well there we are, guys. I don't want to say finally, but it is kind of finally (if that makes any sense). It was a heavy emotional rollercoaster but to be honest, I loved every second of it. I want to thank all of you for standing by this story, I know it has sometimes been very heavy and triggering material and I appreciate the effort it took you all to read it and review it. I love all of you and I hope you all have an amazing 2016. Now I sound like you'll never see me again but that is absolutely not the case. I'm currently working on three other stories and one of them is also SwanQueen. Hope to see you there and otherwise I'll see you later!

xxx A

...

Regina was nervous as she walked towards the main entrance, the double doors automatically swinging open. God, she hated hospitals, absolutely loathed them. The smell was probably the worst of all for she could still clearly remember it. 12 months earlier she had been the one to lay in one of these rooms and it was a fact Regina would probably never forget. She could remember feeling so small, just laying there while her father told her stories. They were meaningless but they soothed her worried mind which was occupied with thoughts about Emma, about her mother and sometimes about Leo and all that he did to her. It had taken her 12 months of intense therapy to merely accept that it had happened to _her _ and not some figment of her imagination. Archie told her it had been her coping mechanism for being put through such terrible abuse for so long.

She smiled kindly at a passing nurse before turning left. Regina knew the way by heart even though Emma had never allowed her to come. Every time she had asked the blonde the only answer she got was a harsh no, before Emma timidly left the room. She had talked to Archie about Emma too. Mainly about the worry she felt every time Emma would shut her down like that. He had told her that she was probably ashamed and that she shouldn't worry, _Emma will learn to accept and when she's ready she'll tell you_, but that was easier said than done. Regina wanted to be there for the blonde the way Emma was there for her. Emma was her rock, the only one who understood how she felt and the only one she could turn to after a nightmare, or a flashback.

Even though they were not actually living together, they might as well be. Either Regina would be at Emma's small apartment or Emma would be at Regina's family home seeing that that was the place Regina now lived. _Temporarily_, she keeps telling herself, but she knew better. She couldn't leave her father alone right now. The death of her mother had hit him hard and he was not well. And to be completely honest, she didn't think she was ready to get a place for herself. The thought about living alone gave her the chills. So therefor she was more than okay living with her father until she was ready.

"Ah, Regina." The nurse with dark hair and even darker eyes said in her thick English accent. "Did she finally allow you to come?" The woman smiled kindly, a teasing glint in her eyes as she eyed the computer screen that was in front of her nose. "Emma is in room 45B."

"Thank you, Freya." Regina responded with a tight smile before rushing towards the B-wing. The thing was, Emma wasn't exactly aware that Regina was stopping by. Archie had warned her when she first told him of her plan to stop by unannounced. He said it could end badly, Emma could get really mad, but right now she was willing to take that risk. She loved the blonde, dare she say it and she wanted Emma to know that she was able to see past it. She wanted Emma to know that she was strong enough to handle this, that Emma could lean on _her _this time. They had survived a terrible trauma together and they could also heal together. Regina actually cringed at that one. God, when had she become such a cliché?

There was a rectangular shaped window in the door and Regina carefully peaked inside. This was the room, she could still turn around and leave. She wouldn't even have to tell Emma when the blonde would inevitably call this evening. They actually called every night and even though her father never said anything about it she knew that smile of his. Like he was aware of something she was not. She did not particularly like that smile. With a sigh Regina realized she had been standing there for a couple of minutes already. _Damnit Regina, _she scolded herself quietly, _you don't back down for anything, remember what mother taught you! _

Her head was held high and there was a comforting smile on her face. She didn't want Emma think she was a threat, like she was there to laugh at her. The only thing she was there for was support and so she opened the door.

Emma Swan was as beautiful as ever with her flushed cheeks and sweaty forehead, wearing a soaked-through tank top and tight black running shorts. The skin above her prosthetic leg was red and looked irritated, but Emma just kept going. She was standing between two bars, her arms shaking from using all the strength they contained to keep herself from dropping down onto the floor.

She was standing, upright on her two feet and it was the most beautiful thing Regina had ever seen.

"Emma." The name left her red lips in a whisper. There was awe in her voice, pride too as she stood there with tears blurring her vision. "You're standing, Emma."

The blonde in questions was shocked beyond believe to see Regina standing there in the doorway, unable to even get mad at her for just showing up without telling her so. "Regina? What-"

"Emma, you're standing!" The brunette repeated again, she dropped her purse down on the chair next to the door and quickly walked over. They both forgot the nurse who was situated in the corner as they focused only on each other. "Emma, I'm sorry for just showing up like this, I know you didn't want me here. But I just want you to know that you don't have to be ashamed, especially not in front of me, not after all that we've been through. You saved my life, Emma Swan and I just want you to know that now it's my turn. You can let me in, Emma. I won't hurt you, or shame you, I'd rather die than do that to you. And you know why, Swan?" She smiled, her cheeks turning a color pink Emma had no other choice but to describe as 'cute'. "Because I love you, Emma." She softly placed her hands on Emma's sweaty cheeks and carefully kissed her on the lips before quickly backing away again.

God, what had she just done, that was not supposed to have happened.

"I- I'm so sorry, Emma."

But instead of getting extremely mad like Regina thought she would, the blonde just started laughing. Hard. Emma slowly moved her weight to her good leg and released one hand from the bars. She curled her free hand in glossy dark hair that belonged to the woman in front of her and almost hungrily smacked their lips together for the second time that day. She was grinning smugly when they finally parted for air. "It's fine, Regina. More than fine. I shouldn't have pushed you away, I know all you want to do is help and I should have let you." There was a small pause before Emma spoke again. "Because I love you too, Regina Mills. I've loved you from the moment I saw you."

A cough sounded from the corner before the forgotten nurse spoke up. "I don't want to interrupt you girls but we've got to move along, miss. Of course your girlfriend is welcome to stay."

And neither women thought to correct her.

...

Well that's that, Emma is still alive. Truth be told for a moment there I actually thought about letting Emma die, just for the dramatic effect but I couldn't get myself to do it. It would just be too sad after all they've been through. Instead I opted for something more along the lines of a happy ending. Hope you enjoyed.

Much love.


End file.
